Mental health of South Korean adolescents in the COVID-19 Era: Web-based survey focused on suicide-related factors

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health

Research

Sulki Choi¹  Hye Seon Park²  Yeong Mi Jeong²  Sang Mi Kim³ 

[1] College of Applied Health Science, Biomedical Health Information Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1919 W Taylor St, 60612, Chicago, IL, USA;Department of Health & Medical Administration, Gyeongnam Geochang University, Geochang, Gyeongnam, South Korea;Department of Health Management, Jeonju University, 303 Cheonjam-ro, Wansan-gu, 55069, Jeonju-si, South Korea;

关键词: Academic achievement;    Adolescents;    COVID-19;    Inadequate sleep;    Drug use;    Mental health;    Republic of Korea;    Suicidal ideation;    Suicide attempt;    Suicide prevention;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13034-023-00658-z

 received in 2023-05-04, accepted in 2023-09-14,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively impacted many aspects of life. Measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., school lockdowns, remote and hybrid classes, group and outdoor activity restrictions, and social distancing in the classroom and meal time) could have led to adolescents to experience anxiety and depressive symptoms. Such mental health impacts could increase the risk of suicidal ideation in this population. Moreover, according to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, although the total number of suicide deaths in South Korea decreased in 2021, the suicide rate of those aged 10–29 years increased. One factor affecting the result is adolescent mental health by COVID-19. This study examines the mental health status of South Korean adolescents amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, and identifies and analyzes predictors of suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts.MethodsThe study used data from 54,948 adolescents who participated in the 2020 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. Based on their responses to suicide-related questions, the sample was divided into a healthy group, suicide-ideation group, suicide-planning group, and suicide-attempt group. The descriptive statistics of these groups were then analyzed. An analysis of covariance, post-hoc tests, and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed on the four groups.ResultsOverall, 6.9% of the participants reported suicidal ideation, 2.2% reported planning suicide, and 1.9% reported attempting suicide in the previous 12 months.ConclusionsDuring the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, there is a strong need for various individualized programs that identify and intervene to support adolescents at risk of suicide by accurately assessing their mental health risk factors, such as stress, sadness and despair, loneliness, and generalized anxiety disorder. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop and distribute a mental health and well-being curriculum, strengthen suicide prevention programs and support services, expand mental health diagnostic tests, and school-based mental health programs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

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